Clutch mechanism for alpha constant-mesh gear transmission



Aug. 9, 1927. 1,638,590

P. MaCKENZlY'E CLUTCH MECHANISM FOR A CONSTANT MESH GEAR TRANSMISSION Filed Aug. 14, 1924 Z3 -atlorme s.

n Venter.

tion and illustrated in the vaccompanyingv Patented Aug. 9, 1927.

PHILIPYMACKENZIE, OIF/SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFONA.

g CLUTGH'MECHANISM non A CONSTANT-MESH GEAR 'rmiiivsnissoiv.`

l Application filedAugust 14, 1924.

' known to me, have beensubject to defects' such asliability to jam or br-eak. It is the object of the present invention to simplify and` improve `the construction and operation of a 'transmission' mechanism of the type mentioned, and rto providea strong and rugged mechanism which will not be liable to jam or break, and which can be depended upon toeffect a change of Speed under difficult circumstances, as, for instance, when the clutch is engaged or when travelling down hill, when it is desired to pass from the higher to a lower gear.

One form which my invention vmay assume is exemplified in the following descripdrawings, in which- Fig. 1 shows laverticalcentra'l sectional view of a transmission mechanism embodyingl `my inventiong' Fig. 2 shows a section taken on the line i 2,*72 of Fig. i; f

Fig. 3 shows a section taken on the line 3-3 of Figl;

Fig. 4 shows a section taken on the lineV 4 4 of Fig. 3.

Referring in detail to the accompanying drawings, and particularly to Figs. 1 and 2, I show a transmission mechanism having a drive shaft 10,` and acounter-shaft 11l parallel therewith., A Adriven' shaft 12 is aligned with the drive shaft, and is adapted {tobe directly connected therewithfor highspeed drive. The `driven shaft carries a low-speed gear 13, an intermediate speed gear 14 and a reverse gear 15, all loosely .mounted thereon. A high-speed Oear 16 is fixed on the drive shaft adjacent the vdriven shaft. Each of the gears above mentioned is in constant mesh with agear on the 'counter-shaft 11, except that the reverse gear 15 meshes withan idler gear 17 which in turn meshes with a Ygear on the counter-shaft to bring about the desiredfreverse drive. The low speed gear 13, the intermediate speed gear 14 and the revers-e gear 15, while being loosely mounted on the shaft, may be held from axial movement in any particularmanner, such as shouldering them on the bush Serial No. 731,944.

ings'or shrouding the teeth, these being old l mechanical expedients for the purpose.

Between the high and intermediate-speed gears, andbetween' the lowand reverse gears on-.the driven. shaft", is a collar'18, fixed to said shaft., Each of these collars is provided with key-wa-ys to `receive a number' foiir such sldingjkeyson each collar, two pointing` in one direction and two inthe opposite direction. All four keys on each col- ,lar are operatively connected with a shift-V .ring or collar 20.y which latter are manipu-v ing the lugs and keys' I am enabled toobtain a positive vand almost instantaneous driving engagement when the'keys are shift-v ed. VThe keys 19, it will be noted, are held normally in projected position in their y'seats bymeansfof leaf-spring`s`24 secured to fthe associated shift-collar 20. 7h-en a shiftkl of the keys is made one of ,said keys will imj mediately come finto driving engagement withone of the lugs onsaid gear while the otlierkey Vvwill engage with the opposite 'lug and `prevent blac'klash. -Shouldthefsecond key strike the face of a lug it will ksimply be retracted against its connected spring,

and upon further relative movement betweenthe keys and co-operating gear, this key will quickly come into engagement with the opposite lug on said gear. Once the key erating gear, transmission of power isv imparted after the manner of the ordinary sliding gear transmission, low, intermediate, and reverse being` through the counter-shaft, and high gear being a direct drive, at which time a driving key is in engagement with a lug on the gear 16.

rof slidingkeys 19. As here shown there are i Owing to the ease of shifting the driving'- keys, and the relatively slight'movement required to bring about a shiftlfrom one speed is in engagement with the lug` on the co-op-` lfm yto another, the present transmissionmechai'iism lends itself ideallyto autoinaticcon` trol.;v that is to say, suitable .pre-seieoting meansjmay beprovided and placed underr vcontrol ofV keys, levers "or switchesplaced upon the steeiingwheelor instrument-board of the vehicle. These control members may be subject to actuationat' any time', and upon asubsequent movement of the clutch` pedal the desired shift may be brought about automatically.

wiiai 01am: anew and desir@ t@ 'seme" byjLetters vlvatent is: l

1. Aclutching meclianisinfor a constant mesh gear transmission having a gear rotatably mounted'on a shaft andheld against `axial movement, a clutch collar secured on the shaft contiguous to the gear, a plurality ofcircumferentially spaced and axially extending clutch members carried by said Vclutch collar, a shifting collar arranged .over

saidfclutchcollar andl members and rela tively associated with the latter, clutch aws y 2. Ina transmission of the character dcscribed a shaft, a gear revolub'leabout the shaft and held from axial movement,a clutch collar keyedto the shaft adjacent said gear,

Yaxiallyprojecting clutch jaws on the face of said'gearadjacent said collar, said collar n Y having aplurality of longitudinal key-ways 40 V'said key-ways whereby they may be pro- :jected 'into engagement with the jaws onsaid formed therein, keysy slidablyl mounted in gear, shiftingl collar arranged about the clutch collar, a connection between said shift` Ying. collar and said keys whereby axial move-` ment of said shifting collar will `impart axial movement to the keysfsaid connection between the shifting collar and keys permitting Vsaid aws.

the latter to yield in one direction whereby y engagement of said keys with said clutch yjaws may be effected regardless of the relative positions of the keys and jaws.

'ii clutch for use lina constant mesh gear transmission comprising a shaft, a gear revoluble about the shaft and held from axial movement,`a clutch collar secured to said shaft contiguous to said gear, axially projecting clutch jaws on the face of the gear adjacent said collar, 'said collar having longitudinal guide-ways formed therein, clutch members reciprocably mounted in said guide-ways'for movement toward and away from the jaws on the gear, a shiftcollar slidably disposed on said collar and operatively associated with said clutch members to re ciprocate them toward and away from said jaws, engaging `surfaces' between said rcliitcli `members and said shift collar whereby movement of the shift collar inA ardirectionaway from the jaws will positively shift the clutch finembei's from engagement with the jaws, and spring means rforming aconnection be-y tween the shift collar and .the clutch inembers and capable of transmitting the motionY of the shift collar toward the clutch-jaws to said clutch members and yieldablv mainv tain said clutch members in4 engagement with 4. A clutch for use in a constant mesh gear transmission comprising a pair of members adapted to rotate about a common axis, axi-` ally projecting clutch jaws, fixed to l'oiie of 'i said members yand projecting toward the other, 'the other member havingl keyways formed in its exteriory surface and extending vlongitudinally thereof, keys reeiprocably mounted` in said keyways, a shi-ft member slidably disposed on the last namedl memben' operative V.connections between said shift member and said keys whereby operationy of said shift member in one direction will positively shift said keys, and operation of the f shift member in 1 the other direction Awill yieldably press said keys into engaging'position relative to said'clutch jaws. f

' PHILP MACKENZIE; 

